


Still

by inkandwords



Series: Moments in Time [2]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, aokise - Freeform, atsu fics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-28
Updated: 2014-04-28
Packaged: 2018-01-21 03:10:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1535387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkandwords/pseuds/inkandwords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Long distance is hard. But living without each other is even harder. Kise gets a wake up call, but will it be too late?</p>
<p>Continuation of <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/1303243">Stolen</a>, set a few months after.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Still

**Author's Note:**

> The first part was totally super fluffy. This one is mostly to satiate my need for super angst. Please don't hate me. HEA though, so yay!
> 
> -H

People always told him that long distance relationships never work, but Kise is determined. He is adamant that what he has with Aomine is rock solid, unbreakable, unbeatable; even with the odds stacked against them. It's become harder to fit into each others’ schedules when Kise’s fame escalates to an international level and Aomine’s training regime takes priority. The number of hours he works and the locations of his shoots make finding time for Aomine that much more difficult. There are less of the beach days, less of the ordinary moments listening to Aomine playing the beat up old piano in the living room, less of everything, really. But they manage enough.

Until Aomine gets the call, the one he’s been waiting for, and Kise’s world falls apart. 

"I thought you’d be happy for me?"

"It’s not that I’m not happy for you—"

"Then what is it?!" Aomine’s sudden burst of anger makes Kise flinch. But it's nothing next to the words that follow. "Not like it matters anyway, right? You got your modeling thing, people throwing themselves at you, kissin’ your ass every chance they get. You already have everything  _you_  want.”

"That’s not fair, Aominecchi! It’s my job and I like my job! I’m good at it and I thought you were happy that things were taking off for me!" Kise’s voice rises an octave, a familiar sting behind his lids coming out of nowhere. Just then, his phone goes off, alerting him to a new text message. And then another. And then another. 

"You should probably get that. You talk to whoever it is more than you talk to me these days."

"It’s my manager’s assistant," Kise murmurs, golden eyes scanning over the smartphone’s screen before they turn back to the ace. Aomine’s jaw sets, the muscles working in visible agitation. It is a sight Kise knows well, one that comes every time his expression turns apologetic, every time a shoot or an event calls him away. "They said there was a problem with the proofs from yesterday’s shoot and—"

"Save it." Aomine turns away, duffel bag slung over his shoulder as he exits their shared apartment. "I’m going to practice."

"—they’re making me come in."

The remainder of the explanation comes out in a stunned whisper, but Kise could have shouted it at the top of his lungs for all that it mattered. Aomine is already gone.

 

* * *

 

"Plane’s boarding. I gotta go."

"I know. I just feel like if you go, if we leave things like this—"  _—we’ll never make it._  He can’t bring himself to say it. Kise can barely look at Aomine. He doesn’t want the last thing the ace sees to be a memory of his crying face, doesn’t want Aomine to see that pathetic look every time he remembers their airport goodbye. Those are supposed to be sweet, aren’t they? Romantic. Filled with whirlwind passion right before miles separated them. But as he stands there, gaze purposely averted away from the one he can’t bear to let go, a familiar touch brushes against his cheek, the gesture finishing with a sweep along the curve of his jaw. 

It's Aomine’s signature move. The one that instantly melts him, that turns his knees to jello; boneless, weak, everything falling away but his awareness of those piercing blue eyes locked on him like he is the only thing that matters, like he is the only thing that ever did.

"Like what, huh? We’re good."

Strong arms wrap around him, Aomine’s scent enveloping everything; crisp, fresh, the smell of home. He sighs and rests his forehead against the line of the ace’s shoulder. “Are we? What if—”

"Don’t do that. Not now," Aomine mutters, his sigh mimicking Kise’s as a hint of exasperation taints the drawl permanently ingrained into Kise’s memory. 

Aomine’s fingers press against his back, the idle circles meant to soothe him causing his chest to tighten instead. “You’re right, we’ll be fine. It’s us. Of course, we’ll be fine.”

But as they pull away and he watches Aomine walk off, that half smirk tugging the corner of the ace’s lips, he wonders just who it is that needed convincing. 

 

* * *

 

If Kise thought watching Aomine walk away was hard, it is nothing compared to the weeks and months that follow. Skype calls and messages aren’t the same as having the ace there. The time differences turn his sleeping schedule upside down and earn him reproachful looks coupled with disapproving sighs from his wardrobe and makeup team. His stylist takes to cursing beneath her breath the more severe the bags under his eyes become. But he doesn’t care. Not when it means he can talk to Aomine, even if it's through the bright glare of a computer screen at the crack of dawn.

"Kise-san? I was told to go over your schedule with you for the next week?" 

Kise turns, instantly putting on the smile he so often uses for the cameras, and finds his manager’s assistant standing there with a folded piece of paper in hand. “Of course, of course! Did you wanna go over it here?”

"Well, actually." There's a slight hesitation in the man’s voice, almost as though he's afraid to ask. "I wanted to know if you wanted to go through the details over coffee? If you’re not busy, that is."

_Did he just ask me out?_

Kise shifts nervously in his seat. “Actually, I have this thing—”

"Just coffee. I promise." Ayato flashes a friendly smile. It's been so long since Kise has seen anything directed at him that doesn’t scream pity or sympathy, both of which he’s had enough of to last him a lifetime. 

"Okay, coffee sounds great, actually!"

If he knew how much trouble that one invite would cause, he’d have turned it down in an instant. 

 

* * *

 

"You’re late. Did something happen, Aominecchi?"

"Woke up late, no big deal." Aomine’s face is planted firmly against his palm, the words coming out in a muttered jumble. 

"Are you okay? You seem… annoyed."

"I told you, it’s no big deal. Just drop it."

"Okay, I was just asking. You don’t have to bite my head off, you know." It became a regular occurrence, the snappy conversations. Every time they end, it leaves Kise feeling drained and wondering how exactly they had gotten that way. 

"Missed a meeting this morning. It was supposed to be important or something. Well, important enough that my ass got reamed via voicemail when I managed to finally check it." Aomine glances at him through the screen, eyes half-lidded as if to say ‘ _you satisfied?_ ’

"Ahh, I’m sure they’ll forgive Aominecchi! After all, you’re in the top running, right? You’re too good to let go and besides, you never used to care about getting into trouble with that stuff."

"I never used to care about a lot of things."

As errant as the words are, it stirs something in Kise, a certain hope that maybe this is just a phase, that it's something they could grow out of. “I didn’t mean it in a bad w—”

"You never do."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Forget it. Anyway, I got off with a warning, but this shit’s important, y’know? I don’t wanna fuck it up just ‘cause I couldn’t get my ass out of bed on time. I need to go get ready. Gotta stop by the store before I head off to practice."

"A few more minutes? Please? I haven’t talked to Aominecchi in days!"

"I know, but I’m already runnin’ late as it is."

"Please? I miss you and I just—"

"Can we not do this right now? I need to go, otherwise I’m gonna get my ass handed back to me if I’m late again."

Kise conceds. “Yeah, of course. You’re right. I’ll talk to you later?” He tries to keep the pout to a minimum, but he can’t hide the hope hanging on to every word of his parting question.

"Yeah, sure. Get some sleep, Ryouta." 

And then the screen goes blank.

 

* * *

 

As it turns out, Ayato is a pretty good listener. Kise is reluctant to open up about anything unrelated to work, but before long, he finds that he likes having another ear to spout off to about whatever is bothering him and these days, it usually revolves around Aomine. 

The distance takes a toll on their relationship, puts a strain on the already shaky ground they stood on before Aomine left for America. Ayato tries to help, to offer words of advice, but Kise takes it hard and at times, even with the friendly face to keep him company, he's inconsolable.

"You don’t look well, Kise-kun." Ayato has gotten used to calling him by the more informal address and though Kise hasn’t minded, it doesn’t come away unnoticed that the redhead looks at him in a way that reminds him of how he first looked at Aomine. 

"Ah, it’s nothing! Aominecchi woke up late, so I stayed up a little longer to talk to him!" He flashes a brilliant smile, one he’s grown accustomed to sporting as a default reaction to throw off people’s concern. It usually works on almost everyone; almost everyone, that is, but Ayato. 

"Did you have a fight? You can tell me, you know. I won’t threaten you like your stylist does." 

_How does he know?_

Kise bites his lower lip, the gesture fleeting before he shakes his head, his smile unfaltering. “It was nothing, really! Aominecchi’s a grumpy baka when he wakes up and he’s even grumpier when he’s late for something because he couldn’t wake up on time.” His voice drops an octave as he leans in to confide the reason for Aomine’s foul mood. “His training camp manager wasn’t very happy that he missed a recruitment meeting and I guess they took it out on him.” 

He leaves out the part about Aomine’s irritation with him; specifically, when Kise begs for more time on their video chat because it's been two days since they’ve talked and for Kise, that's two days too long. Ayato doesn’t need to know the details about how he tossed and turned, unable to sleep hours after the conversation with the ace had ended. 

As they leave the coffee house, Ayato grabs the crook of his elbow and pulls him to the side. There is genuine concern in the redhead’s expression, trumped only by the contemplative air masking something else Kise can’t quite gauge. 

Before he realizes what's happening, Ayato kisses him. Kise stumbles back, hands purposely shoving him away as the blond awkwardly bumps into the wall of the building behind him. People glance toward them, prying eyes curious, and he smiles that automatic smile before waving them away. 

Ayato looks just as surprised as Kise feels and for a moment, there's a heavy beat of silence that seems deafening somehow. “Kise-kun, I—”

"I don’t think that was— I… I gotta go."

 

* * *

 

The next few days are a blur. 

Though Ayato hasn’t attempted conversation save for the brief instances where he has to relay information from Kise’s manager, Kise makes it a point to hurry away, always with the pretense that he has somewhere else he has to be or something important he suddenly has to do. 

Guilt eats away at him, even with the self-reassurances that it isn’t something he initiated, isn’t something he wanted. But guilt has a funny way of working and the more Kise thinks about everything, the more he begins to doubt if he's completely innocent after all. 

_Maybe I encouraged it somehow. Maybe I liked the attention I wasn’t getting from Aominecchi._

It seems that even through the miles, even through the noticeable tension that has become the norm for them, Aomine still knows him well enough to detect when something isn’t quite right. 

"Oi."

"Hmm?" Kise snaps back to attention. He hasn’t realized that he’s stopped paying attention to the conversation until he turns his head, golden eyes refocusing on the visible concern on Aomine’s face.

"Spill it." 

"I— what?" For a moment, fear seizes him. It isn’t until he’s made a mental recount of what he can remember of their conversation that he gives a small sigh of relief. How could Aomine know about the kiss, anyway?

"Something’s up." There's an audible frustration in Aomine’s voice. He raises a hand, dark fingertips disappearing from the camera’s view, and Kise knows, can almost  _feel_ , those fingers reach out for him. It makes the drumming muscle in his chest beat a little faster, makes the cavity encasing it tighten just the slightest bit. “You’ve been staring off into space for the last ten minutes.”

"Oh, sorry!" And just like that, the trusty smile is back in nearly full force, his cheeks aching from the strain it takes to keep it plastered on his face. "I’ve just had a lot on my mind and I guess all the traveling’s catching up with me. What was Aominecchi saying again?"

Kise sees the skepticism before Aomine has the chance to push it away. He should have known the ace knows him well enough to see through the facade. 

"I asked if you were gonna be in town next week. They gave me some time off and I dunno, I thought I’d come home for a few."

"Come  _ho—_?!” Kise falls off the chair, a whine sounding as he tries to get back into his seat with what remains of his dignity and bruised ego.

Aomine chuckles, the sound deep, vibrant, and lacking any of the weighted awkwardness that lingeres between them like invisible eggshells no one wanted to walk over; it isn’t until that moment that Kise realizes just how much he’s missed it, how much he’s missed  _Aomine_. 

"Not the reaction I was expecting, but I’ll take it. Heh." 

"When are you— how did you manage—  _oh my god, next week_?!” Tingling with excitement, Kise fumbles into the pocket of his jacket for his phone and checks his schedule. He’s been too preoccupied with his own guilt to really pay attention to much else, let alone the when, where, and whats of his never-ending obligations. He prays that there is nothing pressing that would prevent him from seeing the ace and sighs in relief when he sees that he only has a few shoots to deal with, maybe cancel altogether. “I’m free! Nothing much planned!”

"Eh? You sure? That doesn’t sound right," Aomine muses, a lone brow rising questioningly. "Look, if your schedule’s full, I don't have to come."

"Aominecchi’s so silly! Of course I’m sure! It’s just small things and I can reschedule those." There's a slight catch in his voice he hopes Aomine has missed. Kise’s manager won’t be happy with the changes to his schedule, but Aomine is coming home. There's nothing Kise won’t do to make sure he makes the most of it.

"Okay, I’ll text you the itinerary once my flight’s confirmed. Pick me up from the airport?"

"You know it!" Kise pauses, teeth worrying his bottom lip before he raises golden eyes to meet a familiar set of blue. "I’m really glad you’re coming home. Even if it’s just for a little while."

"Yeah. Me, too."

 

* * *

 

Kise wakes with a soreness that brings back memories of the night before. Aomine’s prodigal return has been exactly as he imagined it would be. They barely made it through the front door before all they were was a tangle of lips and limbs, and Kise wonders then how he’s made it through months without Aomine. He's fairly certain the neighbors had heard just how much he’s missed the ace. A faint smile tugs his lips and he stretches out, languidly reaching his fingertips toward the headboard.

"Mornin’ sunshine."

He turns toward the sound, eyes slowly opening to find Aomine already awake, head cradled against his palm as he props himself up, elbow resting against the pillow. “God, I’ve missed this,” Kise says, yawning. “It feels like forever since I’ve woken up to your face.”

Aomine leans down and plants a kiss on the tip of his nose, a hoarse chuckle escaping. “I know what you mean. Skype just doesn’t cut it. This,” he says, lips skimming the outline of Kise’s mouth like he's trying to memorize it all over again, “I’ve missed this.”

A genuine smile stretches wide across Kise’s face, a hand lazily brushing Aomine’s hair aside before his fingertips trace the outline of the ace’s face. His phone sounds from the dresser, the shrill beep ruining the mood as he groans and turns to reach for the device. Kise sighs. It's Ayato, telling him that he needs to come in to sign some paperwork the agency has sent over and needs back that day. He sends a quick text saying he specifically said he shouldn’t be bothered for the next few days and gets one in return immediately after promising it would be quick. 

"Shit, I need to—" His words die at his lips when he sees the expression on Aomine’s face. That look, he doesn’t miss at all, and the sight of it causes a knot to form in his gut. 

Plopping back down on the bed, Aomine cradles his head and stares at the ceiling, deadpanning. “Yeah, I get it. Do what you gotta do.”

"I’m sorry, Daiki. I promise it’ll be quick and then we can meet up after? You can get some more sleep while I’m there. I’m sure it won’t take long at all."

His eyes plead for Aomine to understand, but the ace isn’t even looking at him when he mutters a barely audible, “Sure, okay, whatever.”

Quickly sliding off the bed, he hurries to take a shower, intent on getting the whole ordeal over with. The sooner he leaves, the sooner he can come back, and hopefully Aomine will be in a better mood when he returns. The shower feels good, easing away the ache that lingers from their activities the night before. Though he really just wants to finish up as quickly as he can, he ends up staying beneath the warmth of the water longer than he means to, trying to keep his thoughts from overreacting to Aomine’s sudden drop in mood. Towel hung over his shoulders as he walks back into the bedroom, he stops short, eyes wide as he takes in the sight of an already dressed Aomine holding his phone, his face twisted into a furious scowl. 

"Y’know, if you wanted to go meet up with whoever the fuck you’re screwing around with while I was abroad, you could’ve just said so," he spits out, tossing the device to Kise as his lip curls into a taunting sneer. "Can’t say I’m surprised, though. I just wish I’d found out about this shit before I flew my ass back out here for nothin’."

"What are you talking ab—"

"Cut the bullshit, Kise."

The use of his family is like a slap in the face. Aomine hasn’t called him that since they first got together. 

"It’s not bullshit! I don’t know what Aominecchi’s talking about!"

"Really? I don’t know how stupid you think I am, but okay. You wanna play dumb? Check your texts."

"What does that have to do with anyth—" Kise’s protest is cut off when his eyes scan the messages from Ayato. Apparently, the redhead has chosen the wrong time to apologize for what happened between them.
    
    
    **Received from: Ayato-kun**  
    
    [text]: I'm sorry if I stepped out of line  
    
    [text]: I just don't want it awkward between us anymore  
    
    [text]: I shouldn't have kissed you like that  
    
    [text]: I hope that's not why you cleared your schedule this week  
    
    [text]: But if it is, I'm sorry okay? See you in a bit

"This is all a big misunderstanding, Aominecchi!"

"Changed my schedule. I’m flyin’ back out tonight. I’ll get my shit before I head off to the airport. Don’t worry about takin’ me. I’m sure you’ve got shit to do. Or people. Whatever. Same thing, right?" With a wry chuckle, he picks his jacket up off the floor and walks out, leaving Kise staring after him, tears stinging before they fall and everything crumbles again.

 

* * *

 

Kise isn’t sure how he managed to get through having to look at Ayato while he took care of business matters, but true to his word, he's back home in less time than he thought. A part of him hopes that whatever happened this morning is all a misunderstanding, a fight like so many they had before where Aomine left to get some air only to come back some time later, ready to work things out. But when he returns, the apartment is empty, Aomine’s luggage gone.

_I thought he said he was coming back for it?_

Panic sets in. 

Everything unravels and his hand finds purchase against the back of the sofa, eyes shut as he counts out his breaths in slow, even beats. Something catches his attention when he finally looks around again, a familiar black box set atop the dining room table. The lid is open, its contents in messy stacks next to the metal container. A lump in his throat rises, tears burning behind his lids as he sits and begins to rifle through them.

The store printed surfaces reflect the overhead light, momentarily shielding the images with a glare that disappears when Kise angles the photographs. Each picture tells a thousand stories, ones it seems, Aomine has recounted time and time again. The edges are imperfect, corners bent in some, countless fingerprints smudging the glossy images that showed the blond through Aomine's eyes.

Kise waking, his hair sticking up in angles he hides from the rest of the world. Kise laughing at pancakes he tried to make Aomine one morning, mouth wide and natural, unabashed and unpracticed, different from the pictures in all his glorified photo books. Kise pouting, face scrunched and unforgiving. Kise in his cucumber face mask, expression shocked and indignant as he tried to lunge at Aomine before the picture could be taken. 

A thousand moments, a thousand memories, all irreplaceable and something he suddenly finds he's always taken for granted. 

His gaze falls on the picture set apart from the rest, the one that shows the most wear, the most attention. It's bent in half, wrinkled at best, with an inscription on the back that read:

_R. - Day after the intl launch_

In it, his lips are parted, his eyes closed as the sun slants across his face in a soft display. It's a picture he knows well, one he's seen in Aomine's wallet, another copy of it tucked behind the sun visor in the ace's car. His finger traces over the surface of the one he holds, surprised to find splotches that smudge slightly to the touch.

_Are these...?_

Kise's lip quivers and his brows set determinedly. 

He has to find Aomine.

 

* * *

 

Knowing where to start is the hard part. There have been so many places, so many that hold memories that mean enough for Aomine that he would visit. There was a hint in the ace's voice before he left that morning, something that tells Kise it's now or never, that if he loses this chance, there won't be another. 

His first stop is the baker's around the corner from their apartment. It's the first place they went to the morning after they moved in together. His chest clenches at the memory, the faint taste of the blueberry muffins Aomine loved so much taunting his taste buds. 

The second stop is the park near his old home. It's where he first discovered his appreciation of stars as he sat with Aomine, staring at them the whole night through as though the rest of the world didn't exist. He remembers the way Aomine pointed out the bright specks of light, remembers the way the ace's expression softened for the briefest of moments as he told Kise that he was the brightest of them all.

Kise visits Teikou's old gym, certain that he'll find Aomine there, but like the rest of his failed excursions, the ace is nowhere to be found. It isn't until he's walking home, out of breath and completely hopeless, that he realizes the answer should have been obvious. His feet hit the pavement, a new found burst of energy fueling his overtired muscles, pushing him to test his limits as Aomine had done in their high school days. 

He reaches his destination and stops at the entrance, fingers clinging to the metal fencing as air burns through his lungs like fire. Doubling over, he forces himself to even his breathing, hands braced against his bent knees. 

"What are you doin' here?"

"Y-You  _know_  wh-what... had to find you... s-saw the pictures... y-you were cr--" He sputters then and rights himself, a hand grasping his shirtfront as golden eyes lock on the ace. The sound of the basketball hitting the pavement is a familiar one. It brings back everything in a rush and Kise is left momentarily breathless once more as Aomine shoots, the ball clearing the hoop with perfect precision. "I'm so sorry, Aominecchi..."

"Do ya wanna know why I came back?" Aomine's question is followed by another dull thud as the ball hits the pavement again. He pauses and springs on his knees before the ball leaves his fingertips, execution flawless.

"Wh-What? I thought it was because you had some time off?"

"I didn't. Not time they willingly gave me, anyway. I asked for it."

"But why?" Kise knows how important making it into the NBA is for Aomine, knows that it's been something the ace has dreamed of even before they met. The admission throws him off guard and he takes a step forward. He continues until he's close enough to see the beads of sweat that form at Aomine's temples, to see the way his knuckles whiten with his grip on the ball. 

"I came back for you. To see if you'd come with me."

"I-I don't understand."

"You know how much this meant to me, how long I've been ridin' on this, bankin' on the opportunity so I can finally do what I've always wanted." Aomine exhales slowly, the breath leaving his pursed lips in a hiss of air as he makes another basket. "But after a while, I realized... none of this shit matters if you weren't a part of it, y'know?"

"I would have supported Aominecchi!"

"Just lemme finish, will ya? Always twittering away like an overexcited bird." There's a fondness in Aomine's voice, one that Kise misses terribly, and it makes the lump in his throat return. "I resented the whole modeling gig, the way it blew up all of a sudden, like they were takin' you away from me. But while I was in L.A., I thought, 'hey, this could be a good thing'. You were always flyin' off to places and maybe if you felt the same way I did, you wouldn't mind where you grounded yourself as long as you were with me."

"Daiki..."

"You were always home to me. And then I come back and see that text and I just--" The ball drops from Aomine's hands and his arms fall to his sides, fists clenched in a visible attempt to keep himself controlled.

Kise takes another step and then another until there aren't any left to take. Hands cradle Aomine's face, fingers affectionately sweeping across the dark skin. "I would go wherever you wanted me to go. Nothing happened and nothing ever will because I've been yours ever since I saw you fly through the air and dunk that ball like a pro."

"Yeah?"

Leaning forward, Kise kisses him, his lips finding the perfect fit like a puzzle that found its missing piece. Just like that, the tension lessens and it's like coming home. He pulls away, eyes scanning the darkened sky for that one speck, the one that shines brightest of all. Lifting a finger, he points it out, keeping his hand outstretched as he turns his gaze back to Aomine. 

"Do you see that? I remember once that you told me that was me for you. But really, it's the other way around, you see. You were always the brightest one of them all. You pushed me, you made me better, you knew how even when I couldn't do it for myself. That," he says, turning his eyes back to the flickering star. "That's you for me."

"Still?"

"Always."

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr @ [limitlessmonster](http://limitlessmonster.tumblr.com). :D


End file.
